Stomacher

A stomacher is a decorative panel of fabric, usually triangular in shape, worn to fill the space between the front edges of a woman’s open gown. The stomacher formed part of the ensemble of fashionable women’s dress from the 1680s to the 1780s. This example is embroidered in coloured silks in a pattern of leaves and flowers. The diagonal lacing is decorative only, as pin holes in the tabs on either side of the stomacher indicate how it was fastened to the gown.